Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to recent office and national benchmarks provides perspective on their decision-making history. Over 10 years on the bench, Bruce Landrum has maintained a consistent approach to evaluating disability claims. His latest approval rate of 63% stands in contrast to the Jacksonville office average of 54% and the national average of 58%. These aggregate rates reflect historical trends rather than specific predictions for your hearing.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Landrum's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Across 18,466 lifetime decisions, Bruce Landrum has demonstrated a varied approval trend. After experiencing fluctuations between 2018 and 2022, his approval rates have trended upward in recent years, reaching 66% in 2025. This recent activity suggests a shift in case outcomes compared to his earlier tenure. These patterns are useful for understanding the judge's history, though your case remains unique based on the medical evidence you provide.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Landrum's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Landrum? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Jacksonville hearing office
The Jacksonville Hearing Office serves a significant population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office processes cases with a focus on administrative efficiency and regulatory compliance. You can expect a formal hearing process where your medical documentation is the primary factor in the decision. You can visit the Jacksonville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. At the Jacksonville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 38% to 70%. Because you cannot choose your judge, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.